Maureen Wallenfang
Appleton Post-Crescent
Published 8:25 AM EDT Sep 17, 2019
Here’s your chance to be the expert today.
Do you know the answers to any of these three questions on healthy and unhealthy restaurants, plus an early Thanksgiving question?
Reader question: I would be interested in knowing which area restaurants use organic, locally grown produce as well as grass-fed beef, wild-caught fish, organic-pastured chicken and eggs. They’re more expensive but I find it is worth the cost. I can’t be the only one that feels that way.
Answer: Stone Arch Brewpub in Appleton has organic salads, grass-fed beef and locally raised bison, pork and cheese.
Rye, Town Council and SAP have local and organic items on their menus, according to USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin food reporter Daniel Higgins.
I checked with a local farmer who told me Carmella’s in Grand Chute, Harmony Pizza in Appleton and Zuppas in Neenah all like to buy from local suppliers.
One café with a healthy focus, Appleton’s Green Gecko Grocer & Deli, unfortunately is in the process of closing. The cafe portion will serve through Oct. 12 and the grocery/deli will be open through Oct. 17.
More: The Buzz: Green Gecko Grocer and Deli to close in Appleton
If readers have other healthy favorites, please email me and I’ll use the answers in a future column.
Reader question: Can you put feelers out there for places that take large groups, more than 20 people, on Thanksgiving?
Answer: Thanksgiving dining-out choices have been whittled down over the past few years with closures of big places like Fox Banquets/Michiels in Appleton at the end of 2016 and The Darboy Club this summer.
More: The Darboy Club, $1M property with bar mirrors and wildlife prints, goes to online auction
In 2017, I wrote about where to dine out with a big group on Thanksgiving Day. Places that accepted a group of 20 or more people at that time included Cobblestone Creek in Brillion, Liberty Hall in Kimberly, Lombardi’s Steakhouse in Appleton, Romy’s Nitingle in Black Creek, Michiels Bar & Grill in Menasha and the ballroom at the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, which later became the Red Lion Hotel Paper Valley in downtown Appleton.
Now is a good time to update this list.
To restaurant owners or managers: Do you take reservations for groups of 20 or more people on Thanksgiving?
To readers: If you’ve had a good experience in the last few years booking a large group of people at a local restaurant for a holiday meal, tell me about it. Where did you go and how was it?
Reader question: The Eggrolls Inc. story got me thinking. I’d describe myself as an amateur competitive eater in training. What other eating challenges are there in the area?
Answer: Lots of readers get upset when we write stories on eating contests. They say they’re a waste of food at a time when others are going hungry, or an example of conspicuous over-consumption.
There are others like yourself with the opposite view. They enjoy these challenges and shows like “Man v. Food,” which featured the “H’Mongous Dozen Challenge” at Grand Chute’s Eggrolls Inc. last week.
More: The Buzz: ‘Man v. Food’ airs segment on Eggrolls Inc.
Here are a few more challenges:
- In Grand Chute, Milwaukee Burger Company’s “Big Milwaukee Challenge” is an eight-patty burger with eight slices of cheese and all the fixings. Eat it in less than 30 minutes and get a T-shirt. Three people did it in early September, based on the restaurant’s Facebook page, so it can be done.
- In Menasha, WeatherVane’s Tsunami Challenge is a seven-pound dish that requires you to sign an insurance waiver before you start eating. It’s a 14-ingredient omelet plus hash browns, pancakes and toast. Eat it all in less than an hour and it’s free. “More than 200 have tried,” said owner Pat DuFrane. “Just one did it.”
- In Neenah, Willie Beamons Bar & Grill has had its Mad Cow Burger challenge forever. It’s a 2 1/2 pound burger patty with a pound of cheddar, big bun and a bed of fries. Eat it in under 30 minutes and it’s free.
Readers, do you know of others?
Contact reporter Maureen Wallenfang at 920-993-7116 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @wallenfang.
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